Gulf Coast falls flat in dropping two games to Tallahassee

Sunday

PANAMA CITY — Friday’s progression for the Gulf Coast softball team was met with serious regression on Sunday.

PANAMA CITY — Friday’s progression for the Gulf Coast softball team was met with serious regression on Sunday.

Tallahassee traveled home with a Panhandle Conference doubleheader sweep, rallying for a 4-1 win in the opener and running away with an 8-0 run-rule victory in the second at Joe Tom King Field. The Eagles stayed atop the conference at 7-1 in Panhandle games and 23-8 overall. GC fell to 22-19, 4-4, two days after sweeping Northwest Florida State and showing promise.

There was fleeting promise on Sunday, as GC’s Haley Elver held Tallahassee hitless through four innings of the first game while possessing a precarious 1-0 lead. The Eagles responded with a first hit, a double by Alexis Huss, and run in the fifth to tie the contest at a run apiece. They didn’t let up.

Tallahassee rapped out 18 hits and scored all of its 12 runs in the doubleheader over the next five innings ending with the second frame of the nightcap. The Eagles had five hits in the fifth and sixth innings and capitalized on two GC errors to win the first game. The Eagles had seven hits and five runs to open the second game against losing pitcher Katie Beth Gordon.

“We weren’t there and it’s disappointing coming off two big games” against NWF State, GC coach Susan Painter said. “We didn’t come out with any want to adapt to pitching. It’s like we’ve never hit.”

Tallahassee winning pitchers Mariah Rivera and Ashley Dobson combined to limit GC to six hits, including only two in the second game. JoJo Booker collected two of those hits for the Lady Commodores, who advanced no runners past first base in their final nine innings.

The Eagles took over in the sixth in the first game without a batted ball leaving the infield. Huss, who was 2 for 3 with a double, scored the game’s final run when Shelby Manns was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. GC had three hits the rest of the day.

Taesha DuBoise matched that total with three hits in the second game. Danielle Patterson, Te Reo Powhiri Matautia, Brenda Santana and Brianna Murillo each had two hits in the first and second innings to key the rout.

GC was unable to secure a win in the second game for the first time in four conference doubleheaders. Sluggish openers against Pensacola State and Chipola were met with outbursts in the second game. There was none of that on Sunday and Painter was again left to scratch her head.

“It’s a lapse of concentration,” she said. “It’s tough to coach that. I’m not the only coach in America dealing with that.

“You’re going to let them come to your home and let them do that to you? They might think it’s OK, but it’s not OK.”

Painter admitted the first round of Panhandle games could have turned out worse. GC is tied for second with NWF State and Chipola with 16 games and two doubleheaders remaining against each Panhandle team. GC’s opportunity to bounce back at Tallahassee comes on Saturday.

GC hosts Pensacola before then on Tuesday starting at 4 p.m. The teams split the first doubleheader on March 12 in Pensacola.

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